Two worlds collide when I'm with you

The first crack in the clock...

It was a rough night.

Alex, Reggie and Julie all took shifts in taking care of Luke. It wasn't easy, especially when Julie looked as exhausted as she did. She definitely didn't radiate any energy that gave off, I'm ready for the day.  The bags under her eyes could rival a koala's by now as she tiredly brushed over them every few minutes. Julie had accompanied the boys over the last few hours, enjoying them chattering and ranting over random things. Rankings of their favorite movies or how much the neighborhood had changed in the last 25 years.

It was nice.

It was also great at staying awake.

Well, at first at least.

To be honest, she dozed off later sometimes, their chatter giving her a strange kind of relaxation and calmness. To hear their whispering in the dark gave off a calmness energy, like the last few hours weren't the most stressful in her life.

When she got a bit coherent again at 8 a.m., she finally decided to stand up and brush her teeth, so she could be ready for when her dad called her to breakfast later. At least it was a Saturday and she hadn't had to worry about school. Their performance at the Orpheum was fittingly on a Friday night and now she couldn't be more grateful for it since school was understandably the least of her worries at the moment. She sighed when she stood by the sink but couldn't help look to her left. The door was slightly open, on purpose of course just right for her to see a glimpse. She was unable to divert her gaze at the brown haired boy next to Reggie.

School would have been a nightmare in her state right now. She wouldn't have been able to concentrate, like at all.

Even if she knew the boys would take care of Luke, she was hesitant to let him leave her sight. It was Reggie's turn to look after him and she trusted him of course. She wasn't crazy after all. They knew each other way longer than Luke and she did and the guys were all practically brothers separated at birth. It made her feel ridiculous to even hesitate but she couldn't help it. The panic spreading in her stomach when she didn't have him in her view, the anxiety knowing he was sick and could maybe disappear any second?

It terrified her.

After them almost dying at the hands of Caleb, she couldn't bear being only a second apart from them, especially after this.

Deep in her heart she knew it was just another scar in her heart that wouldn't ever disappear. It would fade, sure, but it would be just another traumatic memory engraved in her soul. She was tired to say the least of feeling like this.

So, that left Reggie staying with Luke, armed with a washcloth in his hand while Alex had started looking for Willie to maybe find out what was happening. Even though he worried about Luke as much as they did, he left the room as soon as he could, not hesitating in trusting them to take care of him.

Which brings us back to the present, Reggie, her and a not responsive Luke. She wondered when would she was see his hazel eyes again, when she would see him coherent again. It felt like a lifetime has passed and it hasn't even been 24 hours.

"Hey Julie."

Flinching at his gentle voice, it snapped her out of her thoughts,"Hmm?"

"Isn't it weird?,"he asked.

She looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

With a sigh he gestured to Luke,"He's so...stiff" He hesitated and bit on his lip." You know Luke had insomnia when he was alive."

Julie looked surprised at Reggie's sudden statement.

"He did?"

He leaned into his hand and smiled into his palm.